Recipes for Health: Summer Squash

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

No matter what part of the country you live in, tables at farmers’ markets are likely to be piled high with summer squash: round or long, in hues from yellow to light green to dark. If you get vegetables straight from the field, via a food coop or delivery service, you may already be tired of tossing squash into the inevitable ratatouille. Fortunately, you have many other choices. This is a vegetable at home in a wide range of dishes, and just about every cuisine in the world knows how to show it off.

Raw squash contains just 19 calories per cup, in part because water comprises about 95 percent of its weight. For this reason, squash is not loaded with nutrients in the way that, say, broccoli is. Still, squash is a very good source of manganese and vitamin C, and it contains respectable amounts of folacin, vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium and copper. Although different types vary in density, which can affect cooking time, you can use all varieties of squash interchangeably in most recipes.